There's a great new book (September 1, 2007) on the life and work of Cristobal Balenciaga by author Leslie Ellis Miller.

It's called simply "Balenciaga", and it delves deeply into his Spanish heritage and influence.

I highly recommend it.

__________________"If there is anything beautiful besides the Beautiful itself, it is beautiful for no other reason than that it shares in the Beautiful, and I say so with everything." Plato's Phaedrus